What is Below the Fold? Strategic Content Placement Guide

"Below the fold" is an expression originating in newspaper publishing. It's whatever's on a webpage that you have to scroll down to check out. In newspapers, when the 16-page document was "below the fold" it was more difficult to see. In digital marketing, this concept determines what content of yours that your users will see immediately and what they will have to look for by scrolling down the page.

Content and Creative

What is Below the Fold? Strategic Content Placement Guide - Arfadia

The fold is still one of those digital marketing buzzwords, and with good reason. Nielsen Norman Group's eye-tracking research found that users spend about 57% of their page-viewing time above the fold. But some well-known conversion optimization tests have moved key elements below the fold and produced striking results. Here's the thing: knowing when and why to put content below the fold can be the difference between a drawn-out, underperforming campaign and one that changes your business for the better.

This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to get better at optimizing your below-the-fold content, from its humble old newspaper days to the latest in conversion optimization. You'll find out why the generally accepted advice about where to put folds is so often wrong, see real working life examples of how to make conversions work better and learn tips you can use right away.

How 'below the fold' migrated from newspapers to become today's most popular media form

The tale begins in 1951, when Merriam-Webster first cited "below-the-fold" in a description of newspaper articles placed in the bottom half of broadsheet papers. It wasn't long before publishers discovered that stories that appeared above the fold, the upper half visible at newsstands, attracted many more readers and were far more lucrative.

When the web was born in the early 1990s, websites followed the same logic as newspapers. Jakob Nielsen's seminal study (usability studies from 1994 to 1996) found that only 10% of users would scroll a navigation page to see links that were not visible in the initial display. Those studies showed that position strongly affects how much attention content receives.

But here is where things get interesting. In 1997, Nielsen retracted his guideline against scrolling pages because users had grown used to scrolling on the web. Attention did not shift evenly, though: content above the fold remained the most viewed.

Fast forward to today and Nielsen Norman Group's most recent data (2018) shows that users spend about 57% of their page-viewing time above the fold, and 74% in the first two screenfuls. That is lower than the 80% NN/g measured in 2010, but still a strong majority. The decline shows that people have grown more used to scrolling, especially on mobile devices, but the fold continues to have a major impact on behavior.

The surprising reveal of how people scroll today

The truth is, this is more in line with how most people engage with web content today. ClickTale data cited by UX Myths found that people used the scrollbar on 76% of pages, yet attention still drops sharply below the fold. It's not that users are lazy; they're weighing the mental effort and time a decision requires.

The original 2010 eye-tracking study from NN/g, one of multiple eye-tracking studies on the topic, found that 80% of viewing time went to content above the fold. On mobile, the top of the screen is even more valuable, because less content fits in the first screenful. Desktop visits also tend to last longer: Semrush data shows visitors spent 37.7% longer per visit on desktop than on mobile in 2023.

The psychology behind this behavior has been termed "information foraging theory" by researchers. The value of that content above the fold is the "information scent" that users evaluate before deciding to scroll further. For the most part, users are also not going to scroll down if what's above the fold doesn't show them that they will see clearer value below.

Mobile now accounts for 51.76% of global web traffic and desktop for 48.24%, according to the Digital Silk study finds (based on StatCounter data), so optimizing what appears above the fold on both is still a sound rule of thumb. Smaller mobile screens show less content above the fold, which makes smart content curation even more important. Mobile users expect pages to load fast and show information immediately: MOVR data cited by UX Myths found that half of users start scrolling within 10 seconds.

What does your fold strategy have to do with SEO, and why will Google give a hoot?

Google's attitude toward content below the fold is more nuanced than many marketers assume. As John Mueller from Google put it: "I don't think we have strong preferences in that regard." What Google does want, he said, is "some content above the fold."

Google's page layout algorithm, introduced in January 2012, targets sites that load the top of the page with ads to an excessive degree. Such sites may not rank as highly, while sites where content is accessible immediately, without scrolling past ads, are not affected.

Fold placement also affects Core Web Vitals (CWV), which Google's ranking systems use alongside many other signals. In particular, the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) score often depends on how quickly content above the fold loads, which is why fold optimization matters for technical SEO. Google's official documentation recommends that LCP occur within the first 2.5 seconds of the page starting to load, but Google also says good Core Web Vitals don't guarantee top rankings. Elements above the fold are usually your largest contentful paint elements.

With mobile-first indexing, Google uses the mobile version of a site's content for indexing and ranking. Your mobile fold strategy is therefore extremely important for rankings on every device. Your responsive design needs to keep fold optimization consistent across devices.

Among Government sources, such as usability.gov, usability.gov, a former federal resource for making websites more usable (it now redirects to digital.gov), published Research-Based Web Design & Usability Guidelines that recommend placing the most important items toward the top of the page, a principle grounded in broader usability research.

Real-world instances that challenge our thinking about the fold

It gives us real-world testing and the strongest proof that a fold is optimized, and often goes against what people assume. Here are 5 detailed case studies that demonstrate how the location of a fold correlates to conversion performance in a complex way.

Case study 1: Michael Aagaard's 304% jump in conversions

Michael Aagaard, a conversion optimization expert, raised serious doubts about the assumption that CTAs should always be above the fold. On a B2C landing page, he tested a traditional above-the-fold CTA placement against one way below the fold.

And the results surprised everyone: with the CTA moved to the bottom of a very long landing page, conversions increased 304%. CXL notes that several other things changed in the treatment, so the whole lift can't be ascribed to moving the CTA, but the treatment with the CTA far below the fold still beat the control.

As Aagaard's intense analysis summarizes, the lesson is about context:

i

Editorial summary, not a quotation: Aagaard's tests suggest that when a product or offer is complex and visitors have to digest a lot of information, placing the CTA lower on the page generally works best.

Michael Aagaard, conversion optimization expert, as cited by CXL and Econsultancy

Case Study 2: Ceramcor's strategy to reduce banners

Ceramcor, a cookware company, reportedly lost a significant number of visitors because large banners pushed product content below the fold. Rather than drop its promotions altogether, it tried reducing the size of the banners.

The reported result was a 20% boost in conversions and a lower bounce rate, but it could not be verified, because the WebFX page linked here now redirects to WebFX's case-study portfolio. The idea is still sound: surfacing products above the fold while keeping promotional messaging can meet marketing objectives without hurting the user experience.

The most obvious takeaway, as described in WebFX case studies, is that people had come to shop, not to watch commercials. When ads dominate the space above the fold, conversion rates can suffer.

Case Study 3: How Thinkific nailed its landing page

Consider Thinkific, a SaaS platform for online courses, which published over 700 landing pages in less than two years, according to Unbounce. Different stages of the user journey and different types of campaigns called for different page structures.

The approach paid off: according to Unbounce, Thinkific doubled its conversion rates and its traffic over a year and drove more than 150,000 conversions, and it reached 50% conversion rates on its webinar landing pages. One promotional campaign drove 600 new customers to sign up for Thinkific Pro.

They were able to win by aligning their fold strategy with what users wanted. Event landing pages had differing fold behaviours compared with product feature pages, and promotional copy had differing fold behaviours compared with educational content.

Case study 4: The transformation of the home page of the triple crown corporation

Triple Crown Corporation reportedly increased conversions by 49.73% with a homepage redesign that placed key content above the fold and supporting content below it. This result could not be verified, because the WebFX source page no longer carries the case.

According to the original WebFX conversion analysis, the redesign improved the site's metrics by making the information hierarchy more coherent and navigation more straightforward. Above the fold, it communicated the value proposition clearly, while below the fold it told a fuller story and built trust.

Case study 5: Making Vegetology's product page stronger

Vegetology, a UK supplement brand, is a good example of adding just enough information above the fold. According to OptiMonk, adding a short product description and a testimonial to the above-the-fold section of its product pages led to a 6% increase in the conversion rate, while the detailed information stayed below the fold.

The themed pairings of benefit communication and social proof above the fold and detail below came up with a nice progressive disclosure handshake to ensure that trust is established while keeping people interested.

The value of understanding below-the-fold optimization

Most of your competitors don't understand this, but knowing how and when to use below-the-fold placement can give you a massive competitive advantage.

1. Progressive disclosure enhances user experience

Strategic under-the-fold placement enables you to form information hierarchies that support users in making difficult decisions. Rather than overwhelming visitors with a ton of information right off the bat, use above-the-fold content to grab their attention and gain their trust, then give them more below the fold for those who do want to learn more.

This approach is particularly effective for B2B services, complex software products, and big-ticket purchases, where people need a lot of information before they can decide. NN/g found that 81% of users looked at the first paragraph of a page, but only 32% looked at the fourth. So put the essentials first and move the specifics further down for the users who want them.

2. Improved mobile conversion and engagement

With mobile at 51.76% of global web traffic, fold placement is critical for mobile CRO. Mobile devices' above-the-fold real estate is naturally constrained by much smaller screens, so content has to be prioritized; Digital Silk's traffic analysis shows how evenly traffic is now split between mobile and desktop.

Mobile and desktop users notice different things, and on mobile attention concentrates near the top of the screen. By strategically placing supporting content below the fold, you can keep mobile experiences clean and fast while still giving users all the information they need to be persuaded.

3. Sophisticated methods for boosting conversions

Running beneath-the-fold ads just opens up a number of more sophisticated testing options than most of your competitors bother even considering. A/B testing where CTAs go and even what they look like based on where the traffic comes from, what type of users they are and what level of understanding they have of your product can give you improvements that just dumping all of your CTAs above the fold in a big, generic bundle won't.

For example, the ones that are just above the fold CTAs might be worth running if you can determine whether they attract "repeat" visitors who already know what you do. New visitors, on the other hand may be best served by above-the-fold educational content before they are offered a chance to convert.

4. Position yourself so you are unique and different from your competition

Sure, the rule of thumb for marketers is to stick to the limitations above the fold, but smart below the line optimisation can make you stand out and gain users your competitors miss. For more complex products and services explanation and trust is often required, above the fold doesn't always cut it.

Michael Aagaard's test is a perfect case study for this. By placing the CTA at the bottom of a very long landing page, the treatment saw a 304% increase in conversions versus the control with the CTA above the fold.

Frequently Asked Questions About Below the Fold

What's under the fold?

Anything on a web page that is not visible until you scroll down is below the fold. Its exact location varies with the device, screen size and browser window, so there is no fixed pixel value. With responsive design, the fold line depends on the viewport, so you need flexible optimization rather than a fixed size.

How to track "Below the fold" content performance correctly?

To monitor how users interact with content below the fold, implement scroll depth tracking. As Google Analytics documentation explains, the default GA4 enhanced measurement scroll event only fires when a user reaches 90% of the page depth. Custom scroll tracking at the 25%, 50%, and 75% thresholds provides better insights. Microsoft Clarity (free) and Hotjar are heatmap tools that reveal how users interact with content at different depths on a page.

Is below the fold content affecting SEO rankings in reality?

According to John Mueller, Google has no strong preference about where content sits, but it does want to see some content above the fold. Content above the fold should offer original, valuable information, and not be overwhelmed by ads: Google's page layout algorithm, introduced in 2012, can demote sites that load the top of the page with ads to an excessive degree. Search Engine Journal's research linked here focuses on Mueller's comments. Either way, ad placement matters for SEO.

Do you place calls to action above or below the fold?

The positioning of a CTA varies with what the user needs to do and how complex the product is. Visitors who already know your brand find a CTA above the fold most convenient, and will scroll to find it if needed. Visitors who are still uncertain may need below-the-fold information first. Drawing on research by Michael Aagaard, Econsultancy summarizes that complex offers generally do better with the CTA lower on the page, after the value has been built.

What's different about folding when you're folding with a phone in your hands?

Folds are even more critical to the user experience on mobile screen sizes. Phone users are known to scroll but want important information to be easy to find. Responsive design needs to ensure that content shifts in the right manner while maintaining the strategic information hierarchy on every device.

Who even reads below the fold?

As UX Myths notes, ClickTale data found that people used the scrollbar on 76% of pages, and 22% of pages were scrolled all the way to the bottom. Content quality, page design, and information scent are the main factors that influence how far users scroll.

How do you make sure that the above-the-fold and below-the-fold content is as compelling as it can be?

Have a visible information hierarchy with compelling above the fold content and more value below it. Provide for progressive disclosure to aid in decision-making. Experiment with different approaches based on your product's complexity and the people you are trying to reach. Review the scroll depth analytics to understand how users are reacting to the way you position and space your content.

Tools and methods to quantify fold optimization

To succeed at below-the-fold optimization, you need to measure things accurately and you have to keep testing things. These are the top tools and tactics pros use to increase conversions.

Google recommended tools to quantify performance

PageSpeed Insights assessment provides a comprehensive overview of a loading performance below the fold, finds the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), among other things. This free tool demonstrates both lab and field data, which can be used to work on the Technical side of the fold elements.

Google Search Console reports provide you with real user data that displays how well your fold optimization does across different devices and in different contexts. Monitor LCP performance on a monthly basis to ensure elements above the fold are loading in under 2.5 seconds, as it's what Google has recommended.

The Performance tab of Chrome DevTools lays out a timeline of when fold elements load by time. This allows you to discover and optimize individual above-the-fold resources that are impacting your site's performance.

Instruments to analyse the behaviour of professional users

Microsoft Clarity offers free click, scroll, and attention heatmaps and says it has no limits on traffic (the Microsoft Clarity heatmaps link here points to a Crazy Egg article). Scroll heatmaps show exactly where users drop off, so you can work out the best fold placement for your audience.

Hotjar's advanced features (Hotjar's own comparison, with figures accurate as of November 2023) covers heatmaps, session recordings and scroll tracking, and puts the free plan at 1,050 recordings a month. Hotjar pricing now sits with Contentsquare, so check current limits before planning your first fold optimization tests.

These tools reveal patterns of behavior among users that analytics cannot. They reveal the difference between what your users say they do and what they actually do when they interact with your content.

More sophisticated methods of turning thoughts into action

You can measure engagements above and below the fold differently by creating custom Google Analytics 4 events. This allows you to check how various fold strategies perform and adapt based on data from actual user behaviour.

To get real insight on how users are using your content, use scroll depth tracking at different levels (25%, 50%, 75%, 90%). This is the information that helps decide where to place content and tactics to engage people further.

In conclusion

Below-the-fold optimization is one of the most underrated opportunities in digital marketing. Most people assume that everything important must sit above the fold, but real-life tests show that putting things below the fold in the right spot can do wonders for your conversion rates.

But the greater lesson to learn is that the context is even more important than the convention. It's more about the best folding principles than best practices and it really depends on how complex the product is and what the user wants and how savvy the audience is. By testing past what was believed to be true, companies like ContentVerve, Thinkific, etc all had some amazing wins.

Today, people scroll, and most will look at what's below the initial screen, provided the top of the page encourages them to keep reading. But attention is still concentrated above the fold, so good positioning is crucial for higher conversions.

Rather than assuming, you should be testing next. Establish good mechanisms for measurement, monitor scroll depth and test a variety of different fold strategies for your audience and product in an organized manner. The best internet marketers understand that below-the-fold optimization isn't about checklists; it's about understanding your users and implementing changes that fit their habits and expectations.

The bottom line: What is clear from that experience, however, is if you want to excel at optimizing below the fold, you have to test rigorously, measure precisely and continue optimizing using real user behavioral data rather than broad best practices.

i

"Below-the-fold optimization isn't just about scrolling, it's about understanding human psychology and decision-making patterns. Since 2008, I've seen countless campaigns fail because marketers assume users behave logically. The most successful strategies I've implemented leverage below-the-fold placement to create natural information hierarchies that guide users through complex decision journeys, particularly for high-consideration purchases."

Tessar Napitupulu, Founder and CEO of Arfadia

Related Terms

Above the Fold - Content visible on webpage without scrolling, critical for conversion optimization
Landing Page Optimization - Process of improving website and campaign elements to increase conversion percentage
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) - Systematic process of increasing percentage of visitors who convert
User Experience (UX) - Overall experience person has when interacting with product